Infant Mortality
by LadyxMadonna
Summary: JJ centric my first nonromance fic. Based on historical archaological data from a paper by Thomas Crist. The team is called to New York when infants start turning up in trash cans and septic tanks. I promise that it's better than the summary!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own nothing – the characters are property of their creator and the large companies that employ said creators...The concept for this story is taken from real archaeological data in the historical Five Points District of New York (as was documented in Thomas A. Crist's paper _Babies in the Privy_).

A/N: I read Crist's paper for my Archaeology of Death class and it made a pretty big impact on me. I had an urge to write a fictional story involving some of the archaeological data from this survey so here it is...

(PS it's fairly JJ-centric 'cause she's adorable and her character is fairly undeveloped so I have lots of free-reign with her personality and whatnot).

* * *

11:08am

Quantico. Virginia

Briefing Room

The room fell silent as Jason Gideon entered, his face somber but his eyes betraying the anger that was boiling inside him.

"Six babies, three dumped in separate trash cans, three in separate septic tanks over the last two months in New York. Analysis of the remains has shown that each of the children was at least eight months in-utero and was likely viable at the time of birth. COD on all the infants is dehydration and starvation."

The team sat silently, trying to digest the facts that had just been given to them, sensing the horrors weren't quite over. Gideon spoke again,

"The babies are of different cultural backgrounds; two African-American, one Hispanic and three white. There are four girls and two boys. The NYPD has been unable to determine anything about the killer and has asked us to step in, in order to aid in capturing the perp. Here're the files," he tossed a thick stack of manilla folders on the table, "Get me a profile. We leave in six hours." He headed for the door only to turn back and say, "Oh yeah, all of these babies were dumped within hours of their birth. Five of them had an umbilical cord and afterbirth in close proximity."

The team of elite profilers glanced at one another before each grabbing for a folder an retreating to their respective corners to glean what information they could from the evidence.

* * *

5:32pm

In-flight to New York

Jennifer Jareau shifted uncomfortably in her seat, trying to find a position that would let her sleep for the short flight to New York. She was exhausted, it was only Wednesday and she'd worked forty seven hours in the last three days, and it seemed like the rest of the week was going to follow suit. Her eyes closed but she couldn't stop seeing the autopsy photos of the babies and her mind wouldn't stop racing.

As a woman, albeit not a mother, she couldn't even begin to imagine what it must be like to lose a child. The pain they must have gone through, must be going through, would have been tremendous.

JJ's eyes snapped open, "How come there aren't any missing child reports?" she asked.

The rest of the team turned to look at her. "What, JJ?" Hotch asked.

"Missing child reports...usually when a child disappears there are reports about it...how come there aren't any in our files?"

"Maybe they just haven't had time to track them all down?" Spencer Reid offered.

"But the first baby was found two months ago, they must have something," Derek Morgan picked up JJ's line of thought.

"The first child was a white baby girl, approximately 39 weeks gestation. No physical abnormalities, evidence suggests she was alive at her birth. She was found in a dumpster behind some low-income housing on Avenue A. The area was canvassed but nothing came up, the police never received a missing person's report, no hospital records exist for a child displaying the characteristics of this baby exist." Reid read from the report. Quickly reading the rest of the reports he found no evidence that any of the babies had been reported missing.

"So why aren't these babies being reported? I mean I can't even begin to imagine the pain a mother must feel when their child goes missing. To not report it goes against every natural instinct a mother would have!" JJ was wide awake now, her mouth moving to keep up with her brain. "Something is definitely wrong here."

"What if the perp is a woman who lost a child of her own and so she's taking them away from other women?" Morgan asked to no one in particular.

"But if a woman were to lose a child, it is far more likely, were she to resort to stealing other women's infants, that she would feel the need to care for them. A sort of displaced maternal instinct I suppose." Reid countered.

"Maybe she's taking these babies from women who she thinks don't deserve them." Aaron Hotchner offered.

"But why dump them I such terrible places? If she thought the children were better off without their birth mothers, you'd think that she'd have a plan as to how to give them a better life, not kill them." JJ timidly challenged her supervisor.

"We need to find the birth mothers of these babies. It's the only way we're going to be able to narrow down our profile." Gideon confirmed; pleased his team had made progress, frustrated it wasn't more.

* * *

11:46pm

New York City, New York

Hilton Hotel - Room 1121

JJ sank wearily into a near scalding bubble bath, shutting her eyes and trying to wash away some of the tension that had been building all day. A sharp rap at her door startled her from her reverie.

"Yeah?" she called without moving from the comfort of the bubbles.

"JJ? It's Emily. Can I come in?" JJ let out a quiet groan before extricating herself from the tub.

"Just a sec," she yanked the stopper from the tub, assuming that by the time she got back to her bath the water would have cooled. She grabbed a towel and dried off quickly before throwing on a pair of flannel pants and a tank top. She checked the peephole and undid the locks, pulling the door open to allow the team's newest member to enter.

"Sorry... were you busy?" Emily noticed the bright pink flush on JJ's skin.

"Just a bath, trying to relax. What's up?" JJ asked, sitting on the edge of her bed and motioning for Emily to take a seat. Emily perched daintily on the edge of an upholstered chair by the window.

"I just...this case makes no sense! The babies have nothing in common except for the way they were killed." Emily stood from the chair and began pacing. A dull ache started forming behind JJ's eyes and she looked away from Emily. "The killer doesn't fit any profile I've ever seen before. Killers target specific groups, but these babies have nothing in common!"

"Yeah, except that they're babies." JJ replied offhandedly. Emily stopped dead in her tracks.

"What if that's it?"

"Huh?" JJ scrunched her nose and tried to figure out what Emily meant.

"What if that's the link?! It's not the race or gender it's the age!" Emily was getting excited, her voice rising as she linked ideas together, increasing the dull ache in behind JJ's eyes to a quiet roar. "Thanks JJ, I'll see you in the morning!" Emily swiftly exited the room and JJ flopped backwards to the bed, wincing as the migraine made itself known. She moaned and put a hand across her eyes to block out the harsh lighting of the room.

A cool hand touched her elbow and she jumped away, letting out a scream of terror.

"JJ it's just me!" Reid held up his hands in a gesture of surrender. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to scare you."

"Jesus Reid! Ever heard of knocking?" the quiet roar had morphed into a vicious pounding and she stumbled slightly as she made her way to the bathroom.

"Sorry! I caught Emily coming out and she said you were still awake. I just wanted to say that you did a good job today, you're the only one who was suspicious about the lack of missing child reports." JJ fumbled through her bag, only half listening to Reid. She finally found the bottle she was looking for, her hands trembled as she tried to focus through the pain. She growled in frustration and threw the bottle into the bedroom, hoping Reid would get the hint.

A hand snaked through a crack in the door seconds later, two pills on the palm. JJ swiped the pills from Reid's hand and downed them with a glass of water. When she exited the bathroom the main lights in her room were off, only the bedside lamp remained lit. She padded softly to the door, turning the deadbolt and sliding the security chain into place before heading for bed. JJ curled into the fetal position in the centre of the bed and cried herself to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** If they were mine do you seriously think I would be writing fan fiction? I make no profit from the ideas and concepts of others (or from my own ideas, but that's a different story).

**A/N: **So I definitely started writing the first chapter of this story about four months ago when I first read Crist's _Babies in the Privy. _I re-read what I'd written and decided to run with it. Sorry for the delay in getting this chapter up...real life kind of popped up and smacked me in the face and I had no time for writing.

* * *

6:01am

New York City, New York

Hilton Hotel - Room 1121

JJ slapped blindly at the alarm that had shattered her blissful sleep, breathing a sigh of relief when it was silenced. She rolled onto her back rubbing at her temples, attempting to rid her head of the last remaining traces of yesterday's migraine. The pain had reduced to a dull ache, mostly caused by exhaustion. She got up and downed a single aspirin before turning on the shower to a temperature just shy of scalding. She stripped quickly and stepped into the shower, hissing when the torrid water hit her skin.

Her mind began to get into what she called "case mode". All extraneous thoughts were pushed aside and she focused in on her team's goal, to catch the bastard that was murdering innocent babies. JJ turned the facts over in her head, trying to come up with some new angle that she hadn't seen the night before. Finding nothing new she shut off the shower and stepped out. She dried off quickly, sliding into a pair of slacks and a bra before blow drying her hair. JJ functioned on autopilot, stress and exhaustion keeping a foggy cloud over her thoughts. She finished getting dressed and quickly did her makeup, pasting on a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes as she walked out the door.

* * *

7:58am

New York City, New York

NYPD Briefing Room

The team sat quietly, most sipping large cups of coffee to ward off the lure of sleep while they waited for Gideon to arrive. The look on Jason Gideon's face when he entered the room told the team that something had happened, the silence became thick with tension as they waited for him to speak.

"Last night a tourist couple who'd lost their way and ended up in Alphabet City heard crying from a garbage can. When they lifted the lid, expecting a cat, they discovered a female infant The child was bloody and cold but otherwise unharmed. They brought her to Mount Sinai and as soon as they told the emergency room personnel where they'd found her the police were called. This little girl is likely the seventh in our string of victims, she just got lucky. Police are canvassing the area around where she was found to see if they can find the birth mother." A commotion in the bullpen caught everyone's attention. A brunette in high heels, a tiny skirt and an even tinier top was being led in by two officers. A sharp knock at the door preceded the chief of police's entrance to the briefing room.

"Think we found her. Molly Simms, been brought in a couple'a times for prostitution. Went MIA about two months ago but not before we found out she was knocked up, which she ain't anymore. Claims the baby was snatched from her cradle on Avenue Q 'bout three hours after she was born."

An interrogation soon revealed that while Molly Simms may have been a strung out prostitute, she was not a murderess. The woman had been high on something of dubious legality and had no intention of keeping the child but had passed out not long after delivering her baby at home. She'd seen the midwife had clean the child up and place her in the bassinet but when Molly awoke the child was gone. The NYPD were out in full force in Alphabet city, trying to track down other birth mothers to find out their stories.

* * *

12:28pm

New York City, New York

NYPD Lunchroom

JJ stared blankly out the window as she ate a bagel and drank her third coffee of the day. She was amazed at how incredibly bustling New York was, definitely not her kind of town.

"JJ?" Emily touched JJ's shoulder lightly to get her attention. Inwardly JJ groaned, wondering why it was so hard to have fifteen minutes to herself.

"Yeah?" JJ turned around, quickly veiling the annoyance in her face, but apparently not in her voice.

"Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to...I mean...I'll just leave you alone." Emily retreated quickly and JJ felt a twinge of guilt, Emily was only trying to fit in. JJ looked at her half eaten bagel before dumping it in the garbage on her way out of the room to find Emily.

"Emily!" JJ called, getting the other woman's attention as she walked quickly across the bullpen. "Hey, sorry I snapped at you back there, it's just kind of been a long week. What can I do for you?"

"No it's nothing. Go back to your lunch," Emily smiled.

"It wasn't that good," JJ made a face, "What's up?"

"Oh, well I was just wondering if you wanted to throw ideas back and forth, see if we can come up with something new?"

"Sure," JJ replied, "Meet you in the briefing room in five?"

"Yeah that sounds good!" Emily walked off looking happy, removing 'guilt' from JJ's ever growing list of problems to deal with.

12:45pm

New York City, New York

NYPD Briefing Room

By the time JJ had refilled her coffee and made it to the briefing room Emily was already bouncing ideas off of Reid.

"Hey," she sank into a chair next to Spencer and across the table from Emily, "You guys come up with anything yet?"

"Not really," Reid told her.

"We need more information. Trying to come up with a profile with what we've got is like trying to put together a jigsaw puzzle with half the pieces missing!" Emily was clearly frusterated.

"We have to find some other link," JJ mused, more to herself than to anyone else, "Okay so they're all babies but who are their mothers? Are they all like Molly Simms or do they come from different backgrounds? The babies were all found in Alphabet city so that's likely a link of some kind but does it link the mothers or the killer to the children? Maybe it has something to do with the midwife...I wonder if the other mothers used the same one, did anyone ask Molly Simms who her midwife was?" JJ trailed off, realizing that both Reid and Emily were staring at her silently, "What?"

"The midwife!" Emily exclaimed.

"JJ it's distinctly possible that the midwife didn't leave after delivering Molly Simms' baby. She may have waited around until Molly passed out, snatched the child and dropped her in the garbage can where Mr. and Mrs. Henderson found her," Reid took JJ's scattered thoughts and solidified them for her, smiling when her eyes lit up.

"We need to find out who Molly Simms' midwife was!" JJ exclaimed. The three agents rose from the table and went in search of Gideon or Hotch to tell them of the possible new angle.

* * *

6:18pm

5475 7th Ave.

Greenwich Village, New York

Canvassing Alphabet city had payed off and two more mothers had been found, one a stripper and the other a prostitute. Neither of the women admitted to knowing each other or Molly Simms but both had given the same name for their midwife, Laura Zybala. Everyone had been surprised when the only Laura Zybala in New York City turned out to be a neonatal nurse at St. Jude's who lived in an upscale neighborhood.

JJ ran a hand through her hair nervously as she waited for the NYPD to give the team the all clear to enter the townhouse. Reid's hand touched her wrist to get her attention, not realizing that the small touch, knowing she wasn't alone, helped quell her anxiety and let her focus on the task at hand. She turned to face him, to see what he wanted,

"Good work JJ," he smiled at her, "If it wasn't for you we'd still be scouring files to try and find the link."

"Someone would have thought of it eventually," JJ brushed off the compliment, feeling awkward.

"Don't sell yourself short JJ, you did good work today," Aaron Hotchner praised. No one noticed the faint blush that spread across JJ's cheeks when she realized that she had made a major contribution to hopefully capturing a ruthless baby killer.

"All clear!" an officer called from a third floor window, "She ain't here!" The team moved in to see what they could uncover in their suspected murderer's home.

* * *

11:26pm

New York City, New York

NYPD Briefing Room

There was no evidence that anyone had ever lived in Lara Zybala's Greenwich Village apartment, the place was spotless. JJ sat in silence on a hard plastic chair, thinking about the babies already lost and the ones that they all knew were coming if they didn't find the killer soon. She didn't even notice when her eyes slipped shut, only realizing she'd fallen asleep when Reid put a hand on her shoulder and shook her gently.

"JJ...JJ wake up," he whispered, trying to avoid the attention of the rest of the team.

"Hmm?" JJ looked up sleepily.

"Gideon wants us all to go back to the hotel for the night to get some sleep. We're starting fresh in the morning." JJ nodded and stood up, shaking her head to try and wake up long enough to get back to the hotel, or at the very least, into a cab.

Reid followed JJ to the elevator, his analytical mind noting the shuffle in her steps and the slump in her shoulders. He was sure if he were Morgan that he could have come up with some grand, masculine gesture to make her feel better but the fact was he wasn't Morgan and so instead he shared a silent elevator ride and spoke only to ask JJ if she would like to split a cab.

JJ sank wearily into the cab next te Reid, falling asleep almost as soon as her feet stopped moving. A sharp left sent her sleeping form sliding into Reid who placed an arm around her as the cabbie veered right, nearly slamming JJ into the door. When Reid woke her up for the second time that night they'd reached the hotel. After another silent elevator ride she smiled tiredly at Reid as he left her to her door, leaving her to her nightmares.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: None of the recognizable characters are mine. I use them without permission and for no profit. I just like to let them out to misbehave.

A/N: The case JJ is referring to is "The Big Game" and "Revelations"

* * *

9:08am 

NYPD Briefing Room

New York City, New York

JJ sat in the same hard, orange plastic chair as she had the day before now staring pensively at the whiteboard that summarized their leads. The NYPD had put a BOLO out on Laura Zybala and a press conference, which JJ would head, was scheduled for eleven. Still she stared, hoping that something would jump out at her, something would give them a better lead.

There was nothing. She knew it, the rest of the team knew it and yet she couldn't stop herself from staring. She wanted something to tell the press, something good that would keep them from thinking that the BAU was losing at their own game. She wasn't allowed to release the name of the midwife, not even as a "person of interest" because they all suspected that Laura Zybala would have enough money to disappear quickly and quietly.

"Gideon!" JJ called as her boss walked by the door.

"Yes JJ?" Gideon leaned against the doorframe.

"What profile are we releasing to the press?"

"Female, thirty to forty five, middle to upper class, some medical knowledge. Most likely a higher than average IQ, unmarried, no children of her own."

"So basically we're saying Laura Zybala without actually saying her name? Why don't we release a false profile. Try to lure her out by building her confidence, make her believe we're looking in the totally wrong direction? If she hasn't figured out that we've been to her apartment then she might not know that we're looking at her at all." Gideon looked thoughtfully at JJ for a moment, he was secretly proud at how much the young woman had matured as an agent since she'd joined the BAU.

"Come up with one and run it by me by ten," Gideon gave her a small smile and left her to come up with a profile.

* * *

11:01am 

5 Penn Plaza

New York City, New York

"As you all know there has been a recent string of murders in the Alphabet City district where the target victims have all been very young infants. Thus far seven children have been found, six deceased and one who is recovering in the neonatal intensive care unit," JJ took a breath, all eyes were on her, she loved this part. "The FBI has come up with a profile of the individual we believe we are searching for, we would appreciate it if all of you would include it in your broadcasts or articles. The individual we are searching for is a white female, forty to fifty years of age, most likely a housewife," Reid went to step forward and correct JJ but Gideon stopped him, allowing JJ to continue.

"She is of average or slightly lower than average intelligence and likely lives in a lower middle class area. We believe she has likely lost a child of her own, which is her motivation but we also believe that she is choosing victims at random. Anyone who has any information at all is encouraged to come forward at this time, anonymity can be guaranteed if it is requested. I will not be taking questions at this time, thank you." JJ stepped down from the podium, ignoring the looks of bafflement from her coworkers.

* * *

12:40pm 

NYPD Briefing Room

New York City, New York

"What the hell just happened?" Morgan demanded as soon as the team was seated in the briefing room, "Why didn't you stop her Gideon? That was completely the wrong profile!"

"JJ had an idea that I believed would be beneficial to try out. She purposely released a false profile in order to coax Laura Zybala out of hiding. If she believes we are not looking at her as a suspect then she may feel brave enough to try again. By the time I had approved JJ's falsified profile it was too late to fill the rest of you in," Gideon informed the team calmly.

"That's a bit of a big risk don't you think? We're going to have tips pouring in and none of them will be helpful because we're getting the _wrong_ tips!" The deception wasn't sitting well with Morgan.

"If we don't get her soon, we're going to have to go back to the press and release the true profile. They'll lose all confidence in us," Emily was hesitant to demean JJ's idea but she was worried about the consequences.

"I get that guys, honestly. I'll be the one at the forefront of the assault if we do have to recant the profile and I'm okay with the idea of facing that because I really believe we're going to get her before it comes to that."

Spencer, who had been quietly watching the whole exchange chimed in, "She's right guys, if it happens that we need to release the true profile, all fingers will be pointed at JJ because she's the face and voice of the BAU. If she's willing to take that risk then I think we should all support her."

"Reid is right, JJ I admire your courage, I think everyone is just a little on edge about this whole case. Alright guys, lets get to work tracking Laura Zybala," Hotch effectively ended the conversation.

As the team filed out of the briefing room JJ called Reid back, "Thanks Spence. That meant a lot," JJ kissed him softly on the cheek and swiftly exited the room, leaving one very stunned Spencer Reid in her wake.

* * *

3:16pm 

Mount Sinai Hospital - NICU

New York City, New York

"He was brought in forty five minutes ago by a rookie beat cop. She found him in a dumpster behind a Chinese food restaurant on Avenue D. From what we can tell he wasn't there long, but he also hasn't been out of the womb more than three or four hours," the supervising RN informed the JJ and Morgan. "Cops went upstairs to the apartment above the restaurant and found the mother passed out in bed. She's being tested for drugs to see what knocked her out."

"Thanks for you help," Morgan handed a business card to the RN, "If there's anything else please let us know."

The tension was palpable as the two agents walked down the sterile, white hallway. Morgan was still angry that there had been no discussion about releasing a false profile. He realized that JJ was the one who would face all the backlash but he didn't like that the team hadn't been consulted on the pros and cons of releasing a false profile. JJ was scared to say anything to provoke Morgan, knowing that he probably still harbored some resentment towards her over the case in Atlanta and her latest move had only made him angrier. Morgan's phone rang as they waited for the elevator, JJ bit her lip to stop herself from reminding him that cell phones have to be turned off in hospitals.

"Talk to me sugar plum," Morgan was obviously talking to Garcia, JJ prayed that the other woman had gotten them a lead. "You're sure? Excellent. Did you call Hotch? Thanks baby doll, you're the greatest." The elevator arrived and the agents stepped on, squeezing in beside an old man with an IV pole, a teenage girl in a wheelchair and an intern with an empty gurney. Morgan turned to JJ, "There's been activity on the credit card, everyone is on the way to the scene." JJ breathed a sigh of relief, her idea had worked and they were going to nail Laura Zybala. "Look, JJ...I'm sorry for jumping down your throat earlier, I just hate being left out of the loop."

"Don't worry about it," JJ smiled, "Let's just catch this one and put her away for good."

**TBC...**


End file.
